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Monster season 1, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, premiered on September 21, 2022, with a chilling portrayal of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan's true-crime series takes the audience into the mind of Dahmer, played by Evan Peters. The second season, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, will be released on September 19, 2024.
Monster season 1 follows Dahmer’s early life, crimes, and eventual arrest. From the episode depicting his troubled childhood to the horrifying discovery of human remains in his apartment, the season paints a haunting picture of a man whose violent actions were overlooked for years.
The official synopsis of Dahmer reads:
"Across more than a decade, 17 teen boys and young men were murdered by convicted killer Jeffrey Dahmer. How did he evade arrest for so long?"
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Monster season 1 recap: A glimpse of the episodes
The Monster season 1 unfolds over 10 intense episodes. In the first episode, Episode One, Dahmer is arrested after Tracy Edwards escapes. Please Don't Go (episode 2) and Doin' a Dahmer (episode 3) reveal Dahmer's troubled childhood and his first murder.
In episode 4, The Good Boy Box, he targets young men at gay bars, as he is staying at his grandmother's house. Episode 5, Blood on Their Hands, shows his growing list of victims, all while evading the police. Episode 6, Silenced, focuses on Dahmer’s relationship with a model.
Episodes 7 and 8, Cassandra and Lionel, explore his father’s struggles and the trial preparations. The last two episodes of Monster season 1, The Bogeyman and God of Forgiveness, God of Vengeance conclude with Dahmer’s imprisonment and ultimate demise.
The beginning of a nightmare
Starting with an incident of police brutality on Milwaukee's streets, Monster season 1 portrays a serious atmosphere. At the same time, the foul smell from Jeff Dahmer's apartment raises doubts among his neighbors. Jeff first wipes out the concern of the smell, claiming it's caused by dead fish or spoiled meat. However, he gets more agitated as it gets stronger.
Tracy Edwards, a 32-year-old man, meets Dahmer in a neighborhood pub, where Dahmer offers him money to return to his apartment for a photo session. Tracy agrees, not knowing the horrific events he will be facing. He starts to feel uncomfortable and soon discovers a bad smell inside Dahmer's apartment. Things turn more intense when Dahmer puts handcuffs on one of Tracy's wrists.
As Dahmer becomes more aggressive, brandishing a knife, Tracy starts looking for an opportunity to escape. In a moment of desperation, the latter manages to break free and flee from the apartment.
He then flags down two police officers, leading them back to Dahmer's residence, resulting in Dahmer's arrest. From decaying human remains and signs of dismembering them—everything the police find proves that Dahmer has been killing for years.
A disturbing childhood and early signs
Monster season 1 also throws light on Dahmer’s childhood and adolescence. A few episodes explore his troubled family life, marked by his parents' turbulent divorce and his struggles at school.
As a high school senior, Jeffrey Dahmer becomes aware of his attraction to men, while his interest in animal dissection continues. Left alone after his parents' divorce, he gets involved in drinking heavily.
Dahmer, one day, picks up hitchhiker Steven Hicks, but after some arguments, he kills Steven with a dumbbell. Though police stop him with Hicks' remains in his car, Dahmer evades suspicion and later disposes of the body.
Dahmer's life in the shadows in Monster season 1
Dahmer's inability to create healthy relationships drives him even more into isolation as he gets older. After being expelled from Ohio State University, Jeff joins the Army but gets discharged for alcohol abuse.
Eventually, he starts living with his grandmother. Then, he accidentally murders Steven Tuomi. The list of victims further increases, as he successfully hides his horrific actions from everyone.
Police failure and missed opportunities
The way law enforcement fails to stop Dahmer's killing spree becomes one of the primary subjects of Monster season 1. The police neglect the investigation despite several red flags, while Dahmer's neighbor complaints about suspicious activity.
Dahmer's arrest and aftermath
The arrest of Dahmer signifies the climax of Monster season 1. Dahmer is arrested once the police find the grisly evidence in his apartment, and his horrible deeds are exposed to common people.
The series doesn't hold back in depicting the emotional toll that Dahmer's father, Lionel Dahmer, pays while facing the truth of his son's horrible deeds. Lionel's attempts to figure out how his son turned killer give the narrative a tragic twist.
The families of Dahmer's victims struggle with grief, fear, sleeplessness, and recurring nightmares. Lawyer Joe Zilber files a $14 million lawsuit on behalf of the victims' families. Also, whatever revenue Lionel's book regarding his experience of being Jeffrey's father generates, it is decided to be spent on victims' families.
Meanwhile, in prison, Dahmer begins receiving "fan mail,". Upon exchanging his autographed items, he starts receiving money. Surprisingly, people start selling items from his house, and Zilber cleverly asks the sellers to increase the asking price to make sure that the victims' families receive the shares.
After attending a church service in prison, Dahmer requests to get baptized, as Gacy is put to death. But Christopher Scarver, a prisoner, kills Dahmer and Jesse Anderson.
By the end of Monster season 1, Dahmer's body is cremated, but his brain is kept for research. However, Lionel and the victims' families want it to be destroyed. Finally, the Oxford Apartments are torn down, along with the cremation of his brain.
Monster season 2 update
Monster season 2 shifts focus from Jeffrey Dahmer to another infamous case, diving deep into the lives of the Menendez brothers. The series, with nine episodes, will focus on the shocking 1989 murders of Jose and Mary Louise "Kitty" by their sons Lyle and Erik.
The Menendez brothers claimed their actions resulted from years of physical, emotional, and s*xual abuse inflicted by their parents, while the prosecution claimed the brothers killed their parents to inherit their family fortune. This season will look into the several layers of this case that created turmoil in the country in the 1990s, including the dramatic trial and its influence on the true-crime genre.
Monster season 1 is currently streaming on Netflix.
